OB 293 was a North Atlantic convoy which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was notable for seeing the loss to the Kriegsmarine (KM) of U-47, with her commander KL Günther Prien, the person responsible for the sinking of HMS Royal Oak two years previously.
| Convoy OB 293 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg){kind=small} Germany |
 United Kingdom | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Admiral Karl Dönitz |
convoy: escort: LtCdr JM Rowlands | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4 U-boats |
37 ships 4 escorts | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2 U-boats sunk 1 damaged |
2 ships sunk 3 damaged | ||||||
Prelude
editOB 293 was a west-bound convoy of 37 ships, either in ballast or carrying trade goods, and sailed from Liverpool on 2 March 1941 bound for ports in North America.
It was escorted by an escort group of two destroyers, Wolverine and Verity, and two corvettes, Arbutus and Camellia. They were led by LtCdr Rowlands of Wolverine, which would stay with them till they left the Western Approaches. (At this stage of the campaign escort groups were too scarce to provide "end-to-end" cover).
On 6 March 1941 the convoy was sighted by U-47 commanded by Prien. After sending a sighting report he set to shadowing the convoy, being joined throughout the day by three other boats. They were U-99 (Kretschmer), U-70 (Matz) and UA (Eckermann).
Action
editThe wolf pack launched its attack on the night of March 6-7.
In the early hours of 7 March U-99 slipped into the convoy from ahead, to attack on the surface. She torpedoed and sank the tanker Athelbeach, already damaged by U-47, and the whale factory ship Terje Viken. U-70 damaged a British tanker, Delilian, and a Dutch tanker, Mijdrecht. The latter rounded on U-70 and attempted to ram, forcing U-70 to crash-dive to escape. UA hit a freighter, but did not sink her.
The response of the escorts was swift and effective. The U-boats were subjected to a fierce bombardment as the warships chased down contacts. Over 100 depth charges were expended over a five-hour period. UA was damaged but was able to escape. U-99 only escaped by diving deep and waiting out the attack. U-70 was damaged in the onslaught and forced to the surface, where she was fired on and sunk by the corvettes Camellia and Arbutus.
U-47 avoided damage and was able to stay in contact with the convoy, sending further reports and requesting reinforcements. They had also been able to torpedo Terje Viken, which was straggling after being damaged, though she still remained afloat. The escorts attempted to bring her to port, but she finally sank on the 14th. Her loss was credited to both U-99 and U-47.
At about 1am on the night of March 7-8, Wolverine sighted a U-boat on the surface which she identified as U-47. She and Verity attacked, and after four hours the U-boat was driven to the surface within yards of Wolverine, before diving again. The destroyer sent down a pattern of depth charges and was rewarded with an underwater explosion, marked by an orange glow, and flames that broke the surface.
Aftermath
editWolverine was credited with destroying U-47, and this featured in the official record until the late 1990s. However, after reviewing the available records modern historians regard this attack as being directed against UA, which was badly damaged, but survived to reach port.
No conclusion can be reached about the fate of U-47, and it is thought likely to be the result of a diving accident.
The success of the defence of OB 293, with the loss of Prien, coupled with the successful defence of Convoy HX 112, and the loss of two more aces, Kretschmer and Schepke, one week later, marks a minor turning point in the Atlantic campaign.
Ships involved
editMerchant ships
edit| Name | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athelbeach (1931) |  United Kingdom
|
6,568 | Sunk by U-99; 7 dead. 37 survivors.[2] |
| Basil (1928) | United Kingdom
|
4,913 | |
| Bayano (1917) | United Kingdom
|
6,815 | Vice-Admiral Sir FM Austin KBE CB (Commodore) |
| Capsa (1931) | United Kingdom
|
8,229 | |
| Cardium (1931) | United Kingdom
|
8,236 | |
| City of Baroda (1918) | United Kingdom
|
7,129 | |
| Delilian (1923) | United Kingdom
|
6,423 | Damaged by U-70[3] & towed to Clyde |
| Dunaff Head (1918) | United Kingdom
|
5,258 | Damaged by UA; 5 dead & 39 survivors.[4] |
| Eastgate (1940) | United Kingdom
|
5,032 | |
| Embassage (1935) | United Kingdom
|
4,954 | |
| Empire Attendant (1921) | United Kingdom
|
7,524 | |
| Empire Wildebeeste (1918) | United Kingdom
|
5,631 | |
| Jade (1938) | United Kingdom
|
930 | |
| Kelbergen (1914) |  Netherlands
|
4,823 | |
| Korsholm (1925) |  Sweden
|
2,647 | |
| Leerdam (1921) | Netherlands
|
8,815 | |
| Leiesten (1930) |  Norway
|
6,118 | |
| Loreto (1913) | United Kingdom
|
6,682 | |
| Mercier (1915) |  Belgium
|
7,886 | |
| Michael J Goulandris (1921) |  Greece
|
6,669 | |
| Mijdrecht (1931) | Netherlands
|
7,493 | Damaged by U-70[5] |
| Miralda (1936) | United Kingdom
|
8,013 | |
| New Brunswick (1919) | United Kingdom
|
6,529 | |
| New Westminster City (1929) | United Kingdom
|
4,747 | |
| Peru (1916) | United Kingdom
|
6,569 | |
| Port Caroline (1919) | United Kingdom
|
8,263 | |
| Puck (1935) |  Poland
|
1,065 | |
| Sacramento Valley (1924) | United Kingdom
|
4,573 | |
| Terje Viken (1936) | United Kingdom
|
20,638 | Sunk by U-99; 2 dead and 105 survivors.[6] |
| Tiradentes (1922) | Norway
|
4,960 | |
| Tregarthen (1936) | United Kingdom
|
5,201 | |
| Ulysses (1918) | Netherlands
|
2,666 | |
| Vernon City (1929) | United Kingdom
|
4,748 | |
| Viking Star (1920) | United Kingdom
|
6,445 | |
| Waroonga (1914) | United Kingdom
|
9,365 | |
| White Crest (1928) | United Kingdom
|
4,365 | |
| Woensdrecht (1926) | Netherlands
|
4,668 | |
| Yselhaven (1921) | Netherlands
|
4,802 |
Escorts
edit| Name | Class | Type | Date joined | Date departed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Arbutus | Flower | Corvette | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and sank U-70, 7 March |
| HMS Beverley | Town | Destroyer | 4 March | 8 March | |
| HMS Camellia | Flower | Corvette | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and sank U-70, 7 March |
| HMS Chelsea | Town | Destroyer | 2 March | 7 March | |
| HMS Verity | V and W | Destroyer | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and damaged UA, 7 March |
| HMS Wolverine | V and W | Destroyer | 2 March | 7 March | attacked and damaged UA, 7 March |
U-boats
edit| Name | Type | Navy/Commander | Success | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-37 | IX | KL Nicolai Clausen | N/A | Did not make contact |
| U-47 | VIIB | KK Günther Prien | hit Terje Viken | lost, cause unknown; originally credited to d/c attacks by Wolverine, Verity |
| U-70 | VIIC | KL Joachim Matz | hit Athelbeach hit Delilan, hit Mijdrecht | rammed by Mijdrecht, attacked and sunk by Arbutus, Camellia |
| U-99 | VIIB | KK Otto Kretschmer | hit Terje Viken (sank later), sank Athelbeach | |
| UA | UA | FK Hans Eckermann | sank Dunaff Head | attacked by Wolverine, Verity; damaged and force to return to base |
References
edit- ^ "Convoy OB.293". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Athelbeach – British Motor tanker". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Delilian – British Steam merchant". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Dunaff Head – British Steam merchant". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Mijdrecht – Dutch Motor tanker". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Terje Viken – British Whale factory ship". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Convoy OB.293". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ^ Convoy OB 293 at uboat.net
- Stephen Roskill : The War at Sea 1939–1945 Vol I (1954). ISBN (none)
- Dan van der Vat : The Atlantic Campaign (1988). ISBN 0-340-37751-8
- Arnold Hague : The Allied Convoy System 1939–1945 (2000). SBN (Canada) 1 55125 033 0 . ISBN (UK) 1 86176 147 3
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed, German submarine losses in the World Wars. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
- *Niestle, Axel (1998). German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-352-8.